Many consumer products are designed to be operated remotely, usually by an infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) remote control. Many of these products, for example, satellite receivers, televisions, video cassette recorders (VCRs) and digital versatile disc (DVD) players interact with one another but all usually require separate remote controls. Typically, two or more of these products are operated simultaneously, which may create confusion as to which remote control to use for which product. Also, it is cumbersome to maintain multiple remote controls.
To alleviate these problems, universal remote controls have been developed recently. A single universal remote control replaces two or more manufacturers' original remote controls. Universal remote controls have various modes and are programmed according to the various products the remote control is used to operate. Universal remote controls typically include keys or buttons that correspond to the various modes of the remote control. Pressing an appropriate button places the remote control in a mode for communicating with one of the associated products or equipment. Commands are then sent from the universal remote control in the form of IR or RF codes that identify the equipment and/or command sent to the desired equipment.
Often a user forgets to what mode the universal remote control has been set or the modes that have been programmed into the remote control. In such cases, a user may inadvertently switch the mode of the remote control to a mode that the intended device does not recognize or to a mode on the remote control that is not otherwise programmed. When a remote control has been switched to an unprogrammed mode, the user may press a button on the remote control, expecting to control either a television, a satellite receiver, or other piece of equipment, and nothing will happen. The non-responsiveness of the equipment to the user's actuation of a button on the remote control results in user frustration and/or confusion. This frustration and confusion further increases the number of service calls logged to satellite or cable signal providers by users attempting to troubleshoot this problem or claiming to have defective equipment.